KR20180040142A - Connected optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of connecting an optical element (5), for example an ophthalmic lens, to a communication network (1), wherein the identifier is assigned to the optical element for routing data through the network according to said identifier.

Description

Connected optical element

The present invention belongs to the field of optical elements. The invention relates in particular to optical elements, such as ophthalmic lenses, to which an identifier in the communication network is assigned such that commands to and / or from the lens can be routed in the network.

Many functions are mounted on the optical element. In particular, orthodontic functionality, sunlight protection or anti-debris functionalities, decorative or other functionality are typically mounted on the optical element.

However, the parameters that implement this functionality do not change or are very difficult to change. For example, when a wearer of one sunglasses enters the tunnel, the opacity of the lens no longer applies to the wearer's environment.

Therefore, there is a need to relate the functionality associated with optical elements to the context.

The present invention is intended to improve the above situation.

To this end, a first aspect of the invention relates to a method of connecting an optical element, for example an ophthalmic lens, to a communication network, wherein the identifier is assigned to the optical element to route data through the network according to the identifier.

For an "optical element" means any optical device intended to be placed on, in close proximity thereto, substantially towards, or upward thereof, in a visual organs, such as the eye, in the direction of the light beam produced by the light source do. In a non-limiting application, the optical element is an ophthalmic lens mounted on a device such as a spectacle intended for a person. In a non-limiting manner, the optical element may be a telescope lens or a microscope lens, an aircraft instrument, a plate glass of a building, an intraocular implant, an ophthalmic contact lens, a windshield or a vehicle rearview mirror, or else a lens of a camera.

For example, such an optical element may have a correction effect (sight glasses) or not (so-called "flat" lenses). Optical elements may be opaque (sunglasses), provide information (display information), or otherwise do not exhibit any effect (decorative or protective glasses).

For a "communication network" is meant a set of equipment that is linked together to exchange information. The choice of network typically depends on the technical constraints imposed on the network.

Thus, there is a case of a short range wireless link (typically less than 10 meters), the Bluetooth ^® network type (and in particular "low-energy" version 4.1), or ZigBee ^® type may be used, for example. For medium-range wireless links (typically less than 100 meters), a Wi-Fi type network or a home automation-oriented network, such as the Enocean ^® network at a frequency of 868 MHz, may be used, for example. In the case of a paved distance wireless link (typically greater than one kilometer), a ZigFox network may be used, for example.

In the case of near-field optical links (which typically can cover the interior of the room), it would be possible to use a QI network, for example, in the case of a LiFi ^® network and a near-field magnetic induction link.

For example, a network using IP, Ethernet, TCP / UDP, an Internet network such as a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter of the UART type, a network relying on the hypertext transfer protocol (http) Other protocols may be used.

For "routing data ", it is meant as a mechanism in which paths are selected in the network to deliver data from the sender to one or more recipients. In particular, the data transmitted to and from the optical element is directed at the network by the identifier of the optical element.

Thus, the instructions may be received and transmitted on the optical element by using a communications network. Thereafter, the optical element may receive information and / or instructions that may, for example, change parameters that implement the functionality of the optical lens. Therefore, the operation of the optical element can take into account the front and rear conditions transmitted through the communication network. Moreover, the data can be obtained by the optical element and transmitted by the communication network.

In one embodiment, the method comprises:

- transmission of at least one instruction that may be executed by the processor, the instruction being transmitted by an electronic device connected to the communication network towards a network communication interface linked to the optical element;

- reception of an instruction by means of a network communication interface linked to the optical element.

Thus, any electronic device connected to the network may transmit instructions to the optical element. Electronic devices such as these may include a user interface so that the user can easily give information to the instructions. Such devices may include sensors that can generate instructions in an autonomous manner, or in combination with other devices such as a motherboard or processor.

In another embodiment, the optical element is linked to a processor and a memory, and the method further comprises the steps of storing instructions received in a memory linked to the optical element and executing instructions by the processor linked to the optical element. Thus, the optical element incorporates components that implement the instructions, which, at an industrial level, facilitate the integration of such optical elements.

In one embodiment, the instructions may be used for activation of functionality, for example, activation of functionality associated with an optical element, activation of functionality associated with a networkable electronic device, or functionality associated with a device connectable to an optical element And may be executed by the processor for activation. Therefore, the optical element may be the receiver of the commands or simply relay those commands to other devices.

In another embodiment, the optical element is an optically active type of ophthalmic lens. In this embodiment, the activation of the functionality associated with the lens includes altering at least one characteristic of the electroactive cell included in the lens.

With respect to an "electro-active lens ", it is meant any optical device in which at least one characteristic varies under the influence of electrical and / or electromagnetic signals. Typically, a change in the amplitude of an electrical signal applied to an electro-active lens changes the properties of such a lens.

If the calibration magnification is dependent on the electrical signal, the visual information is provided to the wearer (e.g. via a screen or light source integrated with the lens), possesses active combiners (as defined in patent application EP 15306097) Lenses that incorporate light sources for phototherapy are examples of electroactive lenses.

For an "electroactive cell ", means means used to vary at least one characteristic of the lens according to an electrical signal.

Thus, the characteristics of the lens are adapted to the commands received in the network. Thereafter, the lens advantageously adapts to the environment of the lens or to the requirements of the user (if the instructions originate from the sensor).

In one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of obtaining a measurement by the sensor and determining an instruction based on the measurement obtained by the sensor. Thus, the instructions are rendered dependent on factors related to the environment of the lens, thereby increasing the suitability of the generated instructions. In particular, the dependence of the instructions on the measurements enables direct and adaptive responses of the optical elements.

In another embodiment, the measurements include at least one of a proximity measurement, a geographic position measurement, an acceleration measurement, a rotational motion measurement, a pressure measurement, a temperature measurement, a measurement of tracking of movement of at least one eye, a telemetry measurement, And at least one element from a measurement of the luminosity in at least one frequency band of the at least one frequency band. Proximity measurements may be made between an optical element and a user of the optical element, between an optical element and an external terminal (e.g., between a smartphone connected to an optical element that constitutes the lenses of glasses and glasses), between one optical element and another optical element And the like.

The geo-location measure may be based on at least one element, such as a geographic location (e.g., via latitude and longitude), a spatial location (e.g., in a Galileo-based reference frame), a measure of proximity to another object, Can be corresponding.

Considering these measurements individually or in combination improves the suitability of the commands sent to the optical element. Therefore, the comfort provided by the optical element is substantially improved, and the characteristics of the optical element are adapted to the user of such optical element.

In one embodiment, the instruction is determined based on items of information collected by the collection device. Such a collection device may collect electrical energy obtained through, for example, a solar sensor (photovoltaic cell) or a sensor of thermal or mechanical energy. This thermal or mechanical energy sensor senses, for example and in a non-limiting manner, the energy generated at the level of the face (body heat, blinking of the eyelids, mouth movements, facial micro-movements, skin micro-currents ...) . For "measurements ", it is meant below as any item of information obtained by the measurement sensor and / or the acquisition device.

In one embodiment, the sensor is included in at least one element of the frame of the eyeglass to which the optical element is incorporated, the optical element, the eyeglass comprising the frame to which the optical element is mounted, the optical element being incorporated into the communication network. Thus, the optical element may benefit from or benefit from the instructions adapted to measurements performed by the various sensors.

In another embodiment, the terminal is connected to a communication network, and the terminal is further connected to a data network. In this embodiment, the method comprises:

Acquisition by the terminal via the data network of items of information relating to the environment of the optical element, the terminal, the optical element and / or the at least one element from among the users of the terminal;

- It further includes the steps of determining an instruction based on an item of information.

For a "data network" is meant any type of network capable of providing data that supplements the data of the communication network. In one embodiment, the data network is separate from the communication network. In particular, when the communication network is a local area network (e. G. Bluetooth), the data network may be a wide area network, for example the Internet via a 4G connection.

The items of information related to the environment are typically front-to-back items of information available on a data network (e.g., the Internet) such as items of information relating to climate, maps (topographic data), items of news,

Thus, the means available at the level of the terminal is advantageously used to improve the suitability of the commands transmitted to the optical element.

In one embodiment, the data is encrypted. Typically, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and / or RSA type encryption may be used to encrypt the data. The communication may be encrypted, for example, via https (Hypertext Transfer Protocol security) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) to secure such data.

In another embodiment, the optical element is an electrochromic lens. For an "electrochromic lens ", at least one color is meant as a lens that can be changed in accordance with an electrical signal.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the step of transmitting at least one message by a communication interface linked to the optical element towards an electronic device connected to the communication network.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a computer program containing such instructions for implementation of the method according to the first aspect of the invention when the instructions are executed by the processor.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to an optical element, such as an ophthalmic lens, which is connectable to a communication network and comprises a memory configured to store the identifier assigned to the optical element to route data through the network according to the identifier .

In one embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the optical element is linked to a communication interface capable of receiving an instruction sent by an electronic device connected to the communication network. In such an embodiment, the optical element further comprises a processor capable of executing an instruction.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for producing

- an optical element according to the third aspect of the present invention;

- a terminal comprising a sensor and connected to a communication network, the terminal comprising:

Receiving a measurement obtained by the sensor;

And a terminal configured to perform a determination of an instruction directed to an optical element based on a measurement obtained by a sensor included in the terminal.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is a method for producing

At least one optical element according to the third aspect of the present invention;

- sensor;

- a processor, the following operations:

Receiving a measurement obtained by the sensor;

An ophthalmic device intended to be worn by a user comprising a processor configured to perform a determination of an instruction based on a measurement obtained by the sensor.

Are included in the scope of the present invention.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon review of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a connected optical element according to an embodiment of the invention.
2A shows a possible environment for an optical element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2B shows a possible environment for the optical element according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
2C shows a possible environment for the optical element according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram showing steps of a method of connecting an optical element according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- Figure 4 shows the hardware architecture of the devices according to the invention in one embodiment.

The invention will be described in the non-limiting application of the present invention to an optical element which is an ophthalmic lens included in glasses.

Thus, Figure 1 shows a lens 5 connected to the communication network 1. 1 and the following, the communication channel between the lens and the network 1 is referred to as the protocol (http (TCP / IP; ...) that can be used to transfer data in this communication channel They are shown in bold lines as examples.

An identifier is assigned to the lens (5) to route data over the network in accordance with the identifier. According to the type of network used, and hence the protocol associated with this type of network, the identities may vary in nature. Therefore, in the case of an IP network, the identifier is an IP address, and in the case of an Ethernet network, a MAC (Media Access Control) address.

The lens 5 includes a driving circuit 3 for driving the electro-active cell 4 and a communication interface 2 capable of communicating with an electronic device connected to the communication network. The communication interface and / or drive circuitry may simply be linked to the lens 5 (e.g. via a wired or wireless link). The interface and / or circuitry may be inlaid, bonded, or otherwise molded to the lens 5.

An example of the manner and detail of the operation of the hardware architecture of the communication interface and the driving circuit 3 is given in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively.

The electroactive cell 4 comprises means for altering at least one characteristic of the lens by application of an electrical signal, for example an analogue signal (denoted by the double arrow ANALOG in figure 1).

Thus, the electro-active cell may have different calibration magnification of the lens, provide visual information to the wearer of the lens (typically when the screen is integrated with the lens), give instructions to the active combiners, activate the light sources, (Such as the ability or inability of the lens to transmit the light beam) of the lens, different power consumption of the lens, and the like.

A lens that holds active couplers (such as those defined in patent application EP 15306097), or where the calibration magnification, which otherwise incorporates the light sources for phototherapy treatment, is dependent on the electrical signal, is characterized in that at least one of the properties is changed by the electro- Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > electroactive < / RTI >

In particular, the lens may include display means capable of displaying visual items of information on the lens. For example, a screen, an active combiner capable of generating a hologram, or at least one light source may be integrated with the lens.

The network 1 is composed of a plurality of electronic devices. Examples of the configuration of the electronic devices linked to the lens 5 through the network 1 are now given with reference to Figures 2a, 2b and 2c.

2A schematically shows the configuration of electronic devices according to the first embodiment. In this first embodiment, at least one lens 5 is included on the glasses and is linked to the sensor 8, the motherboard 6, the battery 9 and the human machine interface 7.

The acquisition or measurement sensor 8 is typically as follows:

• Proximity sensors that operate, for example, by measuring the transmit / receive times of electromagnetic waves. Proximity measurements can be made between the lens 5 and the wearer of the glasses, between the optical element and the external terminal, between the lens 5 and other optical elements, and the like;

Geolocation measurements can be used to determine geographical locations (e.g., via latitude and longitude), spatial locations (e.g., in a Galileo-based reference frame), geographical locations (e.g., A measure of proximity to one or more of the elements. Such sensors are typically GPS (satellite positioning system) devices, inclinometers, gyroscopes, telemeters, accelerometers and the like;

An inclinometer for acquiring an inclination measurement;

Gyroscopes for obtaining rotational motion measurements;

Telemeters for the acquisition of distance measurements;

Pressure gauges for the acquisition of pressure measurements;

Thermometers for the acquisition of temperature measurements;

An "eye tracker" device (a device for tracking the movement of the eye) capable of obtaining a measurement that tracks the movement of at least one eye of the wearer of the eyeglasses;

A microphone for acquisition of acoustic signals;

A camera for acquiring a video signal;

A sensor of luminous intensity measurement in at least one frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum;

A collection device capable of collecting electrical energy obtained through sensors such as, for example, solar sensors (photovoltaic cells) or mechanical energy (for example, sensors of vibrations on the face), thermal energy,

For "measurements ", it is meant below as any item of information obtained by the measurement sensor and / or the acquisition device.

The human machine interface 7 includes means for interacting with the user of the lens 5, such as the wearer of the glasses. For example, this may be a problem of a simple circuit breaker that activates or deactivates a gesture interface, a lens 5 of an interface driven by brain waves or stare or vocalization, or a touchpad, electroactive functions.

The battery 9 is a device which makes it possible to press the components 8, 7, 6 and the lens 5. The battery 9 may be, for example, lithium / ion otherwise nickel / cadmium type.

The battery 9 may be integrated with the lens 5. In such a situation, the lens 5 may comprise energy collection and / or distribution means such as photovoltaic cells or thermal sensors. This may indicate a particular concern if at least two lenses are connected together via the network 1 and one of the lenses represents a greater consumption than the other lens. In this situation, a lens that exhibits the highest consumption would be able to request and obtain additional energy from a battery that is integrated with a lens that exhibits less consumption.

In this first embodiment, the motherboard 6 links the components 7, 8, 9 with the lens 5. The motherboard 6 therefore centralizes the management of the functions undertaken by the components 7,8 and 9 and transmits the data to and / or from the lens 5 via the network 1, And a communication interface capable of receiving or receiving data.

Communications done between components 7, 8 and 9 and motherboard 6 are typically Ethernet, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Home RF, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), Thunderbolt, Wireless USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and so on.

In a second embodiment, certain components can communicate with the lens 5 directly with each other and through the network 1. Thus, in FIG. 2B, the IP sensor 10 may code such data as IP packets to acquire the data and transmit this data to other devices connected to the network 1. Thus, the lens 5 can access the data of the IP sensor 10 directly, without going through the motherboard, thereby simplifying the electronic architecture, and in particular the motherboard, which no longer manages the IP sensor 10 .

In the third embodiment described here with reference to Figure 2c, the glasses (referred to as 12 in Figure 2c) are connected to the external terminal 11 via the network 1. [ The link between the terminal 11 and the glasses 12 may be wired, wireless, optical, induction based, or the like. In Fig. 2C, a connection according to one and the same protocol between the components of the eyeglasses 12 and the terminal 11 is shown. As a variant, different protocols may be used depending on the links.

The terminal 11 may be connected to a network 1 such as a smart phone, a digital tablet, a connected clock, an office computer or laptop computer, a terminal integrated into an automobile vehicle or GPS, ophthalmic lenses, Or may be a dedicated terminal used in the manufacture and / or configuration of any type of electronic device. The terminal 11 may comprise a sensor as described above for reference numerals 8 and 10.

Sensors such as those described above for reference numerals 8 and 10 may be integrated directly into the lens 5. In such a situation, the data may be transmitted by the lens 5 towards the electronic devices connected to the network 1. Thus, in particular, several lenses according to the present invention can communicate with each other.

A method of connecting the lens 5 to the network 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig.

The data (M) is first obtained in step (13). Such data may include measurements obtained by sensors included on sensors 8 and / or 10 or on lenses connected to other glasses or on lenses 11, A predetermined condition stored on the memory of one of the components 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and / or 11, or transmitted by any type of device connected to the lens 5, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI >

The data M is stored in step 14 so that the command INST is generated which can be interpreted by the lens 5 (e.g., executable by a processor that may enable activation of functionality associated with the optical element) Can be processed after that. The function f may be applied to the data M to generate this instruction INST. An incomplete list of commands that can be generated (also called requests after the formalization step 15 described below) is given below.

In a first non-limiting application of the present invention, the proximity measurement between the glasses 12 and the smartphone 11 is used by function f to produce a transformation command that varies the transmittance of the lens 5. Thus, when the electrochromic lens is activated in a colored state and the wearer of the glasses, for example, approaches the screen of the smartphone to refer to the smartphone, the system will allow the wearer to continue viewing the screen in good conditions By increasing the transmittance of the lens 5, as shown in Fig.

In one embodiment, the terminal 11 is connected to the communication network 1 and the data network. In this embodiment, the terminal 11 obtains the measurement M through a data network, for example a 4G network.

In a non-limiting application of this embodiment, geo-location measurement is performed by the sensors of the terminal 11 and / or the lens 5. These measurements can then be used to determine whether the terminal 11 and / or the lens 5 are located in the tunnel (e.g., through a measurement of proximity between the lens 5 and the terminal 11) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of information < / RTI > If so, the command is sent to the lens 5 so that this lens 5 becomes transparent. Conversely, with the aid of a data network, if it is determined that the terminal 11 and / or the lens 5 are entering a fairly bright area (typically climate data obtained on the Internet), the lens 5 may be opaque Can be sent.

As a variant, the instruction obtained in step 13 is already interpretable by the lens 5.

In step 15, the instruction INST is configured to be transmitted to the lens 5 through the network 1 in the form of at least one request Req. This shaping step depends on the type of protocol used for communication within the network 1.

An embodiment in which data is sent from the device connected to the network 1 to the lens 5 has been described above. The present invention also includes a case where the lens 5 transmits data toward a device connected to the network 1. [ The case of transmission of data from the lens 5 can be inferred directly from the case of reception of the data by the lens 5. [

For example, the battery 9 may be a wireless QI charger. In this situation, the lens 5 is in permanent communication with the battery 9 to direct the battery 9 to the electric power required for the lens 5 to operate. Thus, in this situation, it is in fact the lens 5 to send requests towards the electronic device connected to the network 1.

An incomplete list of data (especially requests) that can be processed to be transmitted to or from the lens 5 is given below.

Command requests to control electrically active functions:

A command to turn on / off the lens 5,

Transmittance level command at the desired transmittance level,

A command to consider the light flux received by the lens 5 to vary the transmittance by transmission of the light flux level according to the adopted transmittance,

· Selection of the law that determines the transmittance according to the speed of light from several laws by sending the index number of the rule to be used,

· Acquisition of control over the cell by external system / control calculated by the motherboard.

Requests related to parameterization of an electro-active lens:

Parameterization of the minimum-maximum transmittance ranges,

≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > - if < / RTI > transmittance steps are used,

Parameterization of the speed of the transition between two transmission levels,

· Parameterization of the transmittance law according to the speed of light,

· Parameterization of cell manipulation cycles.

Lens query requests:

Reconstruction of lens properties (color, transmittance range, curvature of the cell, shape of the cell, materials of the cells forming the cell, manufacturing date, etc.)

· Recovery of usage data: statistics on the number of operating hours, current consumption, statistics on the transmittance levels used, and the process of variation of the transmittance changes.

Other requests:

The possibility of storing wearer management data (pulse, blood sugar, etc.) on the lens, such as personal data such as data relating to the manufacture of lenses, passwords, and data on medical characteristics.

This data is preferentially encrypted so that it is not accessible to a third party (encryption by AES / RSA). Communication between the devices of the network 1 may be encrypted (e.g., via https, WPA) to secure such data.

Other requests relating to the rest of the frames of glasses as well as the lens may be sent:

Request on frame:

Recovery of the level of the battery 9,

· Parameterization of energy management and / or consumption of the lens depending on the battery,

Recovery of data acquired by the sensor (8 or 10).

Electro-active lenses may send requests to various electronic devices that are connected to a network (either outside the frame or outside the frame)

Requests sent to sensors in the frame,

· Requests sent to the motherboard / battery to determine charge level,

A request to be sent to the terminal 11 to determine the position of the frame by the GPS of the terminal 11, for example.

The request Req is then forwarded to the lens 5 at step 16. In one embodiment, the request (Req) is dispatched at specific moments. Typically, in order to optimize the energy consumption of the battery 9, transmissions of data in the network 1 may be provided to be activated only periodically. For example, the network can only be activated every hour.

The transmitting means of the electronic devices connected to the network 1 may be operated according to the charge level of the battery 9. [ For example, this transmitting means may be activated only when the battery 9 is charged or when the battery 9 exhibits a charging level greater than a predetermined percentage, for example, 75 percent. In the same way, the activation of at least one component included in at least one electronic device may depend on the level of charge of the battery 9. [

The operation of the battery 9 may be dependent on the measurements obtained by the sensor and / or the acquisition device.

The request Req is received by the communication interface 2 in step 17A and then decoded in step 17B by the communication interface 2 to the instruction INST during the shaping step 15 Steps symmetrical to the steps).

In step 18, the processing is applied to the instruction INST by the driving circuit 3. This processing includes, for example, a step of digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) of an instruction INST to an analog signal ANALOG.

In step 19 this signal ANALOG is sent to the electroactive cell 4 so that the next instruction INST is executed by the electroactive cell 4. [ The method then ends at step 20.

One embodiment has been described in which the measurements are taken (e.g., step 14 above) before they are processed, producing an instruction that is acquired by the sensor and then sent to the lens 5. A command is sent by the device connected to the network 1 and then a measurement is included on the lens 5 to weight and / or modify / / adapt the command received by the lens 5 Or may be provided to be obtained by a sensor.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication interface 2, the driving circuit 3, the sensor 8, the IP sensor 10, the mother board 6, the human machine interface 7, the lens 5, the battery 9 and / Or an exemplary hardware architecture of the terminal 11. More generally, such an architecture may be used by any type of device to perform at least one of the steps of the method according to the present invention.

The communication interface 2 and / or the driver circuit 3 may be integrated directly into the lens 5 or may simply be linked to the lens 5 by any type of link, as previously mentioned with reference to Figure 1 . The communication interface 2 and / or the driving device 3 may be a package comprising printed circuits, a chip integrated into the lens 5 (e.g., by bonding, molding, overprinting, etc.) But can take the form of any type of object capable of communicating with the lens 5 otherwise.

The hardware architecture of the communication interface 2 included in the lens 5 is described below as a non-limiting example.

The communication interface 2 includes a random access memory 24 for storing instructions for implementation by the processor 23 in the manner as described above. In the case of the driving device 3, the processor can, in particular, execute the commands received by the lens 5. [ The device may include a mass memory 25 for storing data intended to be stored after implementation of the method.

The communication interface 2 may further comprise a digital signal processor (DSP) This DSP 22 receives the requests Req to demultiplex, demodulate, and amplify these requests in a manner known per se, as described above with reference to step 17B of FIG. The device also includes an input interface 21 for receiving requests Req and an output interface 23 for sending an instruction INST towards the driving device 3. [

Other components, and in particular the hardware architecture of the drive circuit 3, can be inferred directly from the hardware architecture of the communication interface 2. In particular, the digital-to-analog converter of the drive circuit 3 may be a function that is executed by the processor 23 and / or the DSP 22.

In one embodiment, an optical element, such as an ophthalmic lens, is configured to transmit and / or receive at least one command through a network, in particular a memory configured to store an identifier in the network, for example to activate functionality associated with the optical element, And a processor capable of executing instructions received from the network.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as examples; The present invention extends to other variations.

Accordingly, an embodiment including a specific allocation of the execution of the steps 17A-20 between the communication interface 2 and the drive circuit 3 has been described above with reference to Fig. Other assignments of the execution of these steps between the communication interface 2 and the drive circuit 3 may be envisaged. For example, step 17A may be performed by the interface 2 and all other steps may be performed by the drive circuit 3. Moreover, the order of steps may be changed and certain steps (especially step 15) may be ignored.

Furthermore, the configuration of the lens 5 in which the lens 5 includes the communication interface 2 and the driving circuit 3 has been described. Other configurations may be envisioned. Thus, the communication interface 2 and the drive circuit 3 may be bundled as a single electronic device, for example a SoC (system on chip).

The present invention has been described above with respect to the application of the present invention to ophthalmic lenses included in glasses. Other applications, such as the applications mentioned below, are inferred directly from what was described with respect to glasses.

The present invention can be practically applied to a wide variety of fields. Various applications are specifically encompassed by the present invention, such as, for example, glasses, telescopes, aircraft mirrors, plank mirrors of buildings, windshields or vehicle rearview mirrors, or optical elements for lenses of cameras.

In particular, vehicle windshields can advantageously be connected to the display information provided by the communication network and thus the network and useful to the driver. Likewise, the glazing of a building can be linked by a communication network to sensors of brightness outside the house to vary the opacity of the glazing.

Another possible application of the present invention consists, for example, of connecting lenses to a communication network located in a building in an open workspace. In open workspaces such as these, there may be separate subspaces that are delimited by the plate glass. Such plate glasses may include an information display means (e.g., a screen integrated into a plate glass). Thus, an individual located in the first individual work subspace can transmit, via the communications network, items of information that can be displayed on the display means of the at least one sheet glass of the second individual work subspace.

In such applications, the battery may be integrated with the lens. The lens may further include energy collection means such as photovoltaic cells, thermal sensors, and the like. The energy collected can be stored (temporarily or otherwise) by the battery. Furthermore, the energy collected may serve to supply the lens and / or may be distributed towards devices external to the lens and linkable to the lens. Finally, the operation of the battery may be dependent on the measurements obtained by the sensor and / or the acquisition device (e.g., switching on and / or modulating the operation when specific measurements are received). This example can be applied to any other optical device, for example, a window pane.

Claims (15)

As a method of connecting the optical element 5, for example an ophthalmic lens, to the communication network 1,
Wherein the identifier is assigned to the optical element to route data over the network according to the identifier. The method according to claim 1,
- transmitting (16) at least one command which can be executed by a processor, said command being transmitted by an electronic device connected to said communication network towards a network communication interface (2) linked to said optical element ;
- receiving (17A) said command by said network communication interface linked to said optical element. 3. The method of claim 2,
The optical element is linked to a processor (23) and a memory (24), the method comprising:
Storing the received instruction in the memory linked to the optical element;
- executing the instruction by the processor linked to the optical element. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
Wherein the instructions can be executed by the processor for activation of functionality associated with the optical element, activation of functionality associated with the electronic device connectable to the network, or activation of functionality associated with the device connectable to the optical element , Way. 5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Wherein the optical element is an electro-active type ophthalmic lens, and activation of functionality associated with the lens comprises alteration of at least one characteristic of the electro-active cell (4) contained in the lens. 6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The method comprising:
- obtaining (13) measurements by the sensors (8, 10);
- determining (14) the command based on the measurement obtained by the sensor. The method according to claim 6,
The measurements include:
Proximity measurements;
Geographic location measurements;
Acceleration measurement;
Rotational motion measurements;
Pressure measurement;
Temperature measurement;
A measure for tracking movement of at least one eye;
Telemetry measurements;
Electrical energy;
Voice signals;
Video signals;
At least one element from a measure of luminous intensity in at least one frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum. 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
The sensor comprises:
- a terminal (11) connected to said communication network;
The optical element 5;
- at least one element from among glasses (12) comprising a frame to which said optical element is mounted. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The terminal being connected to the communication network, the terminal being further connected to a data network, the method comprising:
- acquiring by the terminal through the data network an item of information relating to the environment of the optical element, the terminal, the optical element and / or at least one element from among the users of the terminal;
- determining the command based on an item of the information. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Wherein the optical element is an electrochromic lens. A computer program comprising such instructions for implementation of a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 when the instructions are executed by the processor (23). An optical element (5), such as an ophthalmic lens, which can be connected to a communication network:
- a memory (24) configured to store an identifier assigned to the optical element to route data over the network in accordance with the identifier. 13. The method of claim 12,
The optical element being linked to a communication interface (2) capable of receiving an instruction sent by an electronic device connected to the communication network, the optical element comprising:
- a processor (23) capable of executing said instruction. An optical element (5) as claimed in claim 12 or 13;
- a terminal (11) comprising a sensor and connected to a communication network, the terminal comprising:
An operation for receiving a measurement obtained by said sensor;
And a terminal configured to perform an operation to determine an instruction directed to the optical element based on the measurement obtained by the sensor included in the terminal. An ophthalmic device (12) intended to be worn by a user:
At least one optical element (5) as claimed in claim 12 or 13;
- sensors (8, 10);
- as processor (23):
An operation for receiving a measurement obtained by said sensor;
And a processor configured to perform an operation of determining an instruction based on the measurement obtained by the sensor.

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